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Naomi Osaka has said she does not intend to continue competing if she frequently loses in first round matches after suffering a disappointing 7-5, 6-4 defeat to Australia’s Talia Gibson in her opening match of the Miami Open.
Osaka, who received a first-round bye as the 16th seed in Miami, moved sluggishly in an error-strewn performance and was outplayed by the talented 21-year-old Gibson, who will play Iva Jovic in the next round.
A question on Osaka’s plans for the upcoming clay court season prompted the 28-year-old to reflect on the difficulties of juggling motherhood with her goals as a professional tennis player. Osaka, who said she would play an abbreviated clay season starting at the Madrid Open, is not sure if she can be the best mother possible while pursuing those goals.
“I feel like this also is a dilemma for me,” Osaka told reporters.
“Obviously, I would love to play, but like I said last year … for me, my daughter is very important, and I want to be a mom. I want to be the best mom I can, but sometimes I feel like I know what I have to do to become a really good player, and it’s very difficult. I’m not going to play Charleston. I hope I can play Madrid, Rome and then obviously the French Open.”
Osaka couldn’t handle Gibson’s searing form as she became the Australian qualifier’s fourth top-20 victim in the space of three weeks after Gibson beat Ekaterina Alexandrova, Clara Tauson and Jasmine Paolini at Indian Wells.
“I was able to draw on some experiences from Indian Wells to stay calm,” Gibson said. “It’s been really cool to see what I am capable of, and it’s really exciting for me.”
Things have been challenging for Osaka since returning to competition in 2024 soon after giving birth to her daughter, Shai. She seemed to take a significant step forward at the end of last year, reaching the US Open semi-finals and the final of the Canada Open in Montreal.
Osaka’s progress has also been hampered by injuries. She was forced to withdraw from the Australian Open after a relapse of her chronic abdominal injury, which she says is connected to her pregnancy. Osaka said she has been struggling with a back injury over the past week, which she joked was due to old age. “Your girl’s getting old out here,” she said, laughing.
“For me, like I said last year, I’m not going to stay on tour if I’m losing in the first round,” Osaka added. “I’d rather just be a great mom and be there for my daughter. Because for me, I want to win titles and I want to be the best player I can, but if I have to sacrifice having a lot of time with my daughter, I’d rather not do it.”
Osaka was joined in defeat by the final three British players in the Miami Open draw as Cameron Norrie, Katie Boulter and Fran Jones all fell in the second round. Jones was eliminated first as she succumbed to a chest infection that has affected her for the past week, retiring when 6-1, 3-0 down to Jessica Pegula.
Jones, the current British No 4, has endured a brutal season so far. She was forced to retire from her first-round match at the Australian Open due to a hip injury sustained after a heavy fall. Having only just recovered from the injury, the chest infection has since kept Jones off the practice court.
“I’ve been struggling with an infection the whole week,” said Jones. “You can probably tell my voice is a bit congested and everything. I didn’t really want to lose the opportunity to play against Venus [Williams, who Jones beat in the first round], but it’s a whole different board game playing Jess.”
Jones added that Pegula is “in my opinion, [one of] the top three players in the world. I think the stats probably say that as well. And you need to be 10 out of 10 for competing. So I’m probably at four out of 10 today.”
Boulter put up a solid performance against the supremely talented 13th seed Karolina Muchova before falling 6-3, 7-5. Norrie had by far the best shot at a victory but came up short against 21-year-old Alex Michelsen, losing 7-5, 6-7 (4), 6-4.
The in-form Briton did well to force a third set by winning a tiebreak but was outplayed in the decider by Michelsen. The American served brilliantly and played bold, attacking tennis in the decisive moments to close Norrie out.
Earlier on Saturday, Jannik Sinner defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Damir Džumhur 6-3, 6-3. The world No 2 is aiming to complete the “Sunshine Double” after winning the Indian Wells title last week.
